1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus. More particularly, example embodiments of the present invention relate to a printing medium transferring device and an image forming apparatus having the same, which are capable of stably conveying printing media supplied to a printing engine while securing a manual feeding path of the printing media.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, image forming apparatuses print mono images (i.e., non-color images) or color images on printing media (e.g., paper) according to image signals, and types thereof include a laser printer, an ink-jet printer, a copy machine, a multi-functional printer, and a facsimile. Image forming schemes for the various image forming apparatuses mainly include an electro-photography scheme, in which a light beam is irradiated onto a photo-sensitive member to form an electrostatic latent image, and toner is applied onto the electrostatic latent image to form an image that is transferable onto the printing media; and an ink-jet scheme in which ink is directly sprayed on to surfaces of the printing media according to the image signals.
Such image forming apparatuses include a printing medium supplying device, a pick-up device, and a printing medium transferring device. The printing medium supplying device stores a plurality of the printing media such that a printing operation is continuously performed with the supply of the plurality of the printing media. The pick-up device picks up the plurality of the printing media that are stored in the printing medium supplying device one at a time. The printing medium transferring device conveys the picked up printing media to a printing engine of the image forming apparatuses.
Generally, in order to reduce a size of a image forming apparatus, the printing medium supplying device is installed below the printing engine, and a convey direction of a printing medium that is picked up and conveyed to the printing engine in the image forming device is changed at least once. In addition, a curvature in a convey path of the printing medium located in a path curving region of the image forming apparatus, where the convey direction of the printing medium is changed, exerts a great influence on a height of the image forming apparatus. In other words, if there is a great curvature in the path curving of the printing medium, the height of the image forming apparatus increases. In contrast, if there is a small curvature in the path curving of the printing medium, the height of the image forming apparatus may be reduced.
Recently, various attempts have been made to reduce the height of the image forming apparatus in order to introduce a compact image forming apparatus. To this end, various attempts have been made to develop a printing medium transferring device having a small curvature in the path curving region where the convey direction of the printing medium is changed.
Although the reduction of the curvature where the convey direction of the printing medium is changed in the path curving region may reduce the height of an image forming apparatus, convey resistance of the printing medium is increased thereby, and a slip occurs between a roller and the printing medium that is being conveyed in the path curving region. Accordingly, noise from the image forming apparatus and curling of the printing medium may occur.
In addition, since an image forming apparatus employing a printing medium transferring device having a small curvature in the path curving region, where a convey direction of the printing medium is changed, cannot easily secure a manual feeding path for the printing medium, a manual feeding function for the printing medium cannot be realized.